This service comprises pieces of Chinese export porcelain, made specifically for the Western market. In the 17th century, European markets—followed by American markets in the 18th century—began importing large quantities of porcelain fired in the kilns of Jingdezhen, where orders for large services adorned with family crests and decorative motifs were produced.

This richly enameled and gilded service is the sort that would have been brought back by John Brown when his ship George Washington returned from China to the port of Providence on July 5, 1789. Brown was the first Rhode Islander to engage in the China trade, launching from Narragansett Bay six decades of voyages that brought prosperity to the area’s merchants and luxury goods to its residents.